Specific auxin and medium combinations alter Saccharomyces cerevisiae growth

Auxin-inducible degradation is an increasingly popular protein-targeting reverse genetics approach. Use of this method has revolutionized the types of questions cell and molecular biologists can answer, however, a growing number of studies point to auxin alone impacting different cellular phenotypes. This study investigated the impact of different medium and auxin combinations on Saccharomyces cerevisiae growth. We observed that both natural and synthetic auxin (Indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) and 1-Naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA) respectively) impaired budding yeast growth in nutrient minimal but not nutrient rich media. This finding was true across different yeast strains with or without an intact auxin-inducible degradation system. Ultimately, this study highlights the need for proper controls when using auxin-inducible degradation.